Acts of Hope and Kindness, Toward your Fellow Man, can even Happen in a Walmart Parking Lot
Do you believe in Karma? What about "The Universe" and what it can bring to you? Do you think that what you say, or what you think, will actually become truth? What about "what goes around comes around"? And...if I say and think positive thoughts, then I will receive good things in return"...?
Later this afternoon, I started thinking about many of these questions...
So, I started thinking how I felt about the topics I mentioned in the first paragraph, and I started to think, again as I do several times a day, about my Grandma and how she always felt and what she always said and passed down to all of us. The funny thing is, the things my Grandma taught us were simple, but they covered almost every area, every situation, every challenge, and every confrontation you may or may not have during your time on earth. I have mentioned them before, but I think they are worth mentioning again. Of course, the main focus that my Grandma ALWAYS had was to "be kind to your fellow Man...", which also included the Golden Rule (this is not the biblical version) i.e. "treat others the way you want to be treated". Now, my Grandma lived by those words and many others...but she was no push-over. :) She was stubborn, tough, independent, and she stood up for what she believed in...and under all of that she was graceful, beautiful, talented, and very intelligent. She loved my Grandpa, and always stood by him through some very tough times. They were best friends...soul mates...partners in crime...parents...
So, as I was thinking about all of my Grandma's life lessons, a past moment popped into my head...and it is relevant and worth sharing. So, here we go...several months ago I was pulling into a Walmart parking lot. As I was getting out of my car, I looked over, and I saw this older woman stepping out of the side door of her small trailer. The trailer looked more like a small "pop-up" camper, if you can remember what those looked like, and it was hooked onto the back of a really beat up SUV. I just stood there for a moment, watching her and wondering what she was doing and where she might be going. She looked very tired, but she was standing up straight and she walked with a purpose. As she got closer to me, she stopped and out of the blue said, "well, I'm going into another Walmart to try and find a job today...it's hard, but I know I just have to keep trying." And I said, "I wish you the best of luck, and I am sure today is going to be the day for you!" She said, "well, I don't have all those kind of fancy clothes like you are wearing, but I hope that don't matter..." Then I said, "you look just fine, and I know you will be great in there!"...She ended with "thank you and you have a very nice day!" I responded with, "You too Hon, and take care...it was nice chatting with you." She had a warm smile on her face the whole time. And that was our brief encounter...she continued to walk slowly into Walmart, and I never saw her after that.
So, what is my point to telling you this story...well, this was a strong person, who in the worst of conditions, never gave up on herself and never lost hope. She knew if she just kept trying and kept a positive attitude, that eventually things would work out in her favor. And, in addition to that, she continued to be kind to her fellow man...she didn't have to say anything to me, but she did and in the midst of all of her chaos she wanted to chat with me briefly, be kind, complimentary, and then move along her way. How often do you experience that today? Unfortunately, not very often at all. To me, my encounter with the lady in the Walmart parking lot was refreshing and untainted. To me, it was hope.
Peace & Goodnight,
Amy
Later this afternoon, I started thinking about many of these questions...
So, I started thinking how I felt about the topics I mentioned in the first paragraph, and I started to think, again as I do several times a day, about my Grandma and how she always felt and what she always said and passed down to all of us. The funny thing is, the things my Grandma taught us were simple, but they covered almost every area, every situation, every challenge, and every confrontation you may or may not have during your time on earth. I have mentioned them before, but I think they are worth mentioning again. Of course, the main focus that my Grandma ALWAYS had was to "be kind to your fellow Man...", which also included the Golden Rule (this is not the biblical version) i.e. "treat others the way you want to be treated". Now, my Grandma lived by those words and many others...but she was no push-over. :) She was stubborn, tough, independent, and she stood up for what she believed in...and under all of that she was graceful, beautiful, talented, and very intelligent. She loved my Grandpa, and always stood by him through some very tough times. They were best friends...soul mates...partners in crime...parents...
So, as I was thinking about all of my Grandma's life lessons, a past moment popped into my head...and it is relevant and worth sharing. So, here we go...several months ago I was pulling into a Walmart parking lot. As I was getting out of my car, I looked over, and I saw this older woman stepping out of the side door of her small trailer. The trailer looked more like a small "pop-up" camper, if you can remember what those looked like, and it was hooked onto the back of a really beat up SUV. I just stood there for a moment, watching her and wondering what she was doing and where she might be going. She looked very tired, but she was standing up straight and she walked with a purpose. As she got closer to me, she stopped and out of the blue said, "well, I'm going into another Walmart to try and find a job today...it's hard, but I know I just have to keep trying." And I said, "I wish you the best of luck, and I am sure today is going to be the day for you!" She said, "well, I don't have all those kind of fancy clothes like you are wearing, but I hope that don't matter..." Then I said, "you look just fine, and I know you will be great in there!"...She ended with "thank you and you have a very nice day!" I responded with, "You too Hon, and take care...it was nice chatting with you." She had a warm smile on her face the whole time. And that was our brief encounter...she continued to walk slowly into Walmart, and I never saw her after that.
So, what is my point to telling you this story...well, this was a strong person, who in the worst of conditions, never gave up on herself and never lost hope. She knew if she just kept trying and kept a positive attitude, that eventually things would work out in her favor. And, in addition to that, she continued to be kind to her fellow man...she didn't have to say anything to me, but she did and in the midst of all of her chaos she wanted to chat with me briefly, be kind, complimentary, and then move along her way. How often do you experience that today? Unfortunately, not very often at all. To me, my encounter with the lady in the Walmart parking lot was refreshing and untainted. To me, it was hope.
Peace & Goodnight,
Amy